The Mission
by lovely-marshine
Summary: This is a story about a dryad named Cassia, who is tranformed into a human to save her forest, which is being torn down by conrtactors to make room for houses. It is only the first chapter of the actual book I'm writing with a friend R&R!


**Alrighty, this is a book that me and my friend are writing, and this is just the first chapter, which is all I will post, but leave your reviews, and tell me what you think... The truth please, I can take it if it sucks, so yeah... R&R!!**

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The Mission

It started like any ordinary day. I would help Acacia untangle her hair, we would run to the little stream and wash the night's worries away, and then we would find some berries off of our friends bush to eat.

The day had started off differently, however. Acacia and I had noticed the darker clouds from the tops of our trees, and the wind was faster, stronger, and blew longer than usual.

Acacia's hair was just as tangled as usual, though. I had taken a twig off of the forest floor, like usual, to comb through her long tresses.

When we reached the stream that ran through our forest, the water was colder and our happy antics were dimmed because of the dark weather.

We were just about finished eating when one of the kings' servants, a dryad by the name of Oren called me to his side.

"King Willow wishes to speak with you immediately, Cassia." He said in a low whisper. When I began walking, and Acacia following, Oren ordered her to stop.

"King Willow wished to speak with Cassia alone." He led me through our forest, our home, until we reached the heart; the kings' willow tree. It was the oldest and biggest tree in the whole forest. Its massive size would make any tree tremble, if it were possible.

"Cassia," the king called to me in his raspy, thin voice. He was the oldest dryad in the kingdom, explaining why he was king. "Please, I need you to save our family. The humans are killing my children, your brothers and sisters. If we don't act soon, it could be too late."

I walked; appalled that King Willow had appointed me. _Me_, a silly child, he had once called me, who had very little understanding of the human world.

I turned to face my brothers and sisters, all of whom who had walked me to the edge of our forest as a farewell gesture. Acacia walked forward and hugged me.

"Cassia, please don't forget us. Your tree will be left alone and untouched until you return." Her thick leaved hair surrounded her face while she talked, making it hard to see the knots in her bark-like skin. She handed me the top of her tree, the oldest and most magical part of the whole tree, as a gift.

"Take it, and use it only when necessary." She smiled.

"Thank you" was all I could whisper. I brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

She took a lock of my human hair and rubbed it between her fingers.

"You don't look like yourself." She whispered. The oils from my hair darkened her skin as it was absorbed.

"I don't feel like myself." I told her. And it was true, I wasn't myself any more.

"Cassia," King Willow had told me, "my children are dying. There are things I can trust in you that I can't in others. I am giving you the power to leave the forest." I gasped as he said this for I had never done such a thing, not even dreamed of it.

"In two days, you will be human and will leave your home to go on a mission. This mission is to find out who is killing our family and stop them in any way you can.

"Make acquaintances that might help you figure out who the culprit is, but only acquaintances. If you go beyond that, you bear the risk of showing the human race that we exist."

As soon as he was finished giving me my orders I felt my body begin to transform. I had fallen onto a bed of grass and stayed quiet and still until I was sure that nothing else was going to change.

When I awoke, I had human clothing wrapped around my body like a protective barrier, but it was to flimsy and thin to really protect anything. I didn't have my golden bark anymore; instead I had a thin layer of skin the colour of the snow that covered our forest in the winter. There were stripes of light blue and dark purple running through the inside of my arms and I could feel them pulse through my neck. I had breathed in the smell of my brothers and sisters and realized that I was not one of them anymore. I had a completely different scent; the scent of cinnamon, which grew on my tree.

One of King Willow's servants gave me a mirror so I could see myself. I had eyes now, not deep holes in my bark, eyes the shade of the leaves that grew on my tree, a deep green was all that they could be described by the human vocabulary. I saw that on my head were no longer the short spiky twigs that usually grew there, but long locks of russet brown hair, thin in texture, but very thick. It reminded me of the cinnamon my tree produces.

I had plump pink lips instead of thin, dark lines surrounding the opening that was my mouth. I had straight white teeth that I had to touch because I had never had anything like them as a dryad. Like the dots over my nose when I had bark, I had freckles as a human; light pale markings that looked as thought they would blow away with a light breeze.

"You are very beautiful my child," I heard King Willow say in a language different than those of a human. I had to take a second to understand what he was saying, and mimic his words as I responded.

"Thank you, Father." I spoke in a fluid voice that sounded very alien to what I had sounded like previously.

"In our neighbouring town, the people are tearing down the homes of your brothers and sisters. I have given you a home just outside the town lines. It is stored with enough food to last you three long winters, however this is spring, so eat less and only when necessary." He warned. "Please be safe Cassia, and send information often. I will have my servant here, Oren, take your messages; he will check in often."

This time, the King's voice was stern. "As I have said before, please make only acquaintances, but I am changing that rule. You may have one friend to tell of us as long as that person swears not to tell anyone else. You have that judgment of character that no one else has in my kingdom, so please, don't tell the wrong person."

I was then led out by my friends and family.

From King Willow's tree, there were winding paths leading everywhere from the creek to the bushes of food. I started with a path completely new to me, not sure of what was coming. Tall trees too small to be a home to any of my family lines the path to my new home. Starting with Acacia, my mother then my friends and fellow dryads walked behind me, escorting me out.

After Acacia had left, my mother had come to say her goodbye. She walked with elegance, taking her time, not wanting to rush what could be her last sight of her daughter.

"Cassia," she said, a smile softened her features and crinkled her bark. "Look after yourself, and don't be afraid to come home for any reason, you know where we are." A breeze picked up and my hair flew everywhere. She laughed at my frustrated expression as I tried to tame the wild locks. Eventually I gave up and she kissed my forehead.

"Goodbye, my darling." She said and left with a sad smile.

After my mother had walked back to the group, I smiled at all of them, turned around to face the edge of my old home. I took deep calming breathes, whispered a small goodbye to my family behind me, and walked out of the forest, scared stiff.

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**Okay, so yeah... just a little info in case you're confused :**

**In Greek mythology, the dryads are female spirits of nature who preside over the groves and forests. Each one is born with a certain tree over which she watches. A dryad either lives in a tree, in which case she is called a hamadryad, or close to it. The lives of the dryads are connected with that of the trees; should the tree perish, then she dies with it. If this is caused by a mortal, the gods will punish him for that deed. The dryads themselves will also punish any thoughtless mortal who would somehow injure the trees.**

**Hoped you like it :**

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